The quarterback decision has finally be made. Virginia Tech transfer Josh Jackson will start for Maryland football this season. https://t.co/NaX6Cgy4d3— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) August 26, 2019
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cool
How does he get to play right away as a transfer?
He graduated from VT
Grad transfer, not undergrad. He already graduated from VT, so can play immediately.
Went with Fuente to ACC Media days in July 2018.. Starting QB at MD in August 2019... that's quite the turn of events in one year.
You forgot the part in the middle where he got injured and his backup stepped in and played better.
I wasn't dismissing that, I was just saying, he was a clear team leader in the eyes of Fuente just 1 year ago, now playing at MD. It's a bit surreal to me.
I understand what you were getting at. One of those what a weird turn of events one year makes situations. Hopefully he has better luck this year with his legs, especially with the way UMD seems to churn through ACLs.
Please define "played better" because I'm having a hard time with it...
Played better? 4-6 as a starter? Who's trippin' around here? I put a lot of emphasis on Ws, myself.
Yeah I'm not so sure which qb is actually better.
Yes, he played better. He was more accurate with a stronger arm and was less shy about making plays than JJ. A quick look at their stats in games started, on a per-game or per-attempt basis where applicable:
JJ: 17/28.4, 59.9%; 222.9 yards, 1.56 TD, 0.63 INT per game; 7.85 yards, 0.055 TD, 0.022 INT per attempt
RW: 20/33.9, 58.9%; 252.1 yards, 2.3 TD, 0.9 INT per game; 7.44 yards, 0.067 TD, 0.026 INT per attempt
The numbers might not be much better, but they're still better overall, and you could argue that Willis' 10 games were tougher than JJ's 16.
And if you think the losses last year were because of the offense and not because of the defense allowing multiple 80 yards TDs every game I can't help you.
OK, you're comparing stats from a freshman with stats from a well traveled junior, right? There should be some difference if they're even close to comparable. Argue all you want, I stand by my skepticism that Willis is a better QB based largely on his obvious weaknesses as French points out today, but hope like hell he turns out to be.
"Well traveled" as in he spent 2 years getting coached by the well-respected staff at Kansas, and had spent less time getting coached by Fuente's staff than JJ when he was handed the reins.
well don't dismiss the obvious weaknesses French pointed out in his previous post about JJ.
josh Jackson vs UVA 14 for 21 66.7% 143 yards 1 TD 1 int we won 10-0
ryan willis vs UVA 14-33, 199 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT (highlighted by the weaknesses French pointed out)
you put the 2 side by side and I'm not sure if either one is better than the other. but willis made plays to win games while Jackson made plays not to lose the game. so its all in what you want in your QB.
I mean Jackson was playing on a busted leg that game where he had no mobility whatsoever. If we had a backup who would throw the ball, I'm not sure Jackson is even playing at that point.
It's not fantasy football. Willis threw more but that's about it. His YPA was not good - and well below average for pretty much every game but Duke, GT (thanks Tre Turner for YAC) and Marshall.
I hope Willis goes gangbusters this year but as it pertains to this discussion I fail to see the exuberance for a r-Jr with 4-6 record as starter over an 11-5 record by someone a year younger.
And how exactly does a lower completion rate and higher INT rate translate to more accurate?
You: "He played better"
Also you: posts stats showing he's only better in a TD per attempt and more yards due to more attempts
Still you: See he played better!
In all seriousness, I'm a bit bias. But if you factor in the weapons RW got to play with on offense and add in the rushing TD numbers, JJ is the more efficient player. He may not have the ceiling as you scale attempts, we didn't get to see it, but he gets the job done better imo.
RW was throwing the ball way more than JJ, meaning defenses could more safely key up against the pass, and yet he was still scoring more per attempt than JJ, with similar numbers otherwise across the board. One of the most glaring weaknesses of the offense under JJ was our inability to punch it into the endzone, and that's one problem that Willis doesn't seem to have. This combined with the eye test showing that he has more physical skill than JJ, and just needed his mental game to catch up a bit, leads me to believe he is the better QB of the two of them. It's close, but I firmly believe that Willis would've won the starting nod even if JJ had stuck around.
RW throws a whopping .012 (or only 1.2 TDs in 100 attempts) more TD's per attempt based on your numbers. That's insignificant when you see that JJ had more rushing TDs than RW. Add that to the lack of being able to read option and it's even worse for RW.
I think the only argument for RW is that he has more experience and may have a higher ceiling in a pass heavy offense, but in any balanced attack Jackson is the more efficient player. Either way, JJ got a tough break with the injury and I totally get being put off by losing your job due to that. Finally, I want nothing more than RW to prove me wrong, but imo we got the worse end of the transfer here.
Way more? 5 passes per game?
But regardless, notice any correlation between the games he passed a lot and the final result?
"More accurate", JJ as FR 59.9% comp, RW 58.9% comp.
"Stronger arm", JJ 7.85 yrd/completion, RW 7.44 yrd/completion.
I'm open to the argument that Willis opens up some stuff because he's willing to take chances, but saying something and then immediately posting stats that contradict that something is a curious strategy.
FWIW, those are yards per attempt, and I suppose I'm speaking more from the eye test on the deep ball, where JJ had very little accuracy and range (and therefore attempted significantly fewer deep passes) but Willis seems capable of hitting a player in stride from 40 yards out.
Just to be clear, you're saying JJ had more yards per attempt (and completion btw) because he was worse at throwing a deep ball?
Capable? Sure. But how many of those did he actually have? Maybe I'm wrong, but my memory is most of his "long" passes were mostly YAC. Think Keene vs Miami or Turner vs GT.
And neither threw to the middle of the field much..
David Hale looked at the QB situations in the ACC recently and shared this stat:
From other things he's written, Hale appears to be of the belief that the offense was adapted to a shorter passing game once Willis became the starter. French (sort of) supports this with his breakdowns. Hale also added this in the article:
I personally was never excited with Jackson as our QB. I believe Willis has more arm talent. I just hope his head has gotten to a place where he can see the field better and gain/keep the trust of the coaching staff so more downfield and middle throws are called.
Huh, interesting breakdown. I guess that pokes holes in a lot of my argument, but I still feel like most of Willis' failings come from the mental aspect of his game, which IMO are easier to fix than physical shortcomings. Hopefully he was able to improve on that during the offseason.
To me it's much more simple than any kind of passer rating or stats breakdown. Willis passes the 'eye test' better than Jackson.
Jackson looked slow and wasn't a play maker. He took the safe / easy option 99% of the time. He was pretty good at reading on the option but was never a threat to do anything when carrying the ball. He's the definition of high floor / low ceiling game manager QB. If we a had game breaker at RB and an elite defense he might be just the guy we need to go on a nice long winning streak, but our team isn't built like that right now.
Willis is much more nimble, has better speed, climbs the pocket better and seemed to be a more threatening deep passer. Regardless of completion % he stretched the field more than Jackson did, and put pressure on the defense to cover deep on plays when Jackson wouldn't have bothered throwing it deep. Willis often made poor reads on the option but is actually a threat to pick up 10 yards on a keeper. He also plays with visible passion, much like Evans, everyone in the stadium knows he cares about his team being successful. Again, it's subjective, but he seemed like more of a clutch player as well. Able to make a play in critical situations. If the mental side - reading coverages and reading the option - catches up to his physical abilities he will far surpass Jackson.
I was just going to post this same thing, stats can say what they say but Willis passes the eye test. I felt better about 3rd and 8 with Willis last year than I did with JJ in either 2017 or early 2018. JJ just didn't inspire confidence that he'd make the play when the defense knew we had to throw.
Having said that, I give JJ credit for what he did well - he made good reads, good decisions, and protected the ball (although Willis protected the ball too). But, what it comes down to is I think of Willis as more of a playmaker, and have more faith converting 3rd and long than with JJ.
I also like RW's understanding of game situations. There was no way he was gonna take a sack on 3rd and 14 vs UNC or at the end of the UVA game - he's gonna give Peoples / Keene a chance to make a play in those situations, where too many other QBs treat it like a "normal" down and wait for someone to break open, otherwise take a sack and lose the game. I'm not saying RW is all-ACC, but he inspires more confidence than JJ and many other QBs we've had.
Before JJ entered the portal, I remember thinking (and hearing, both among friends and on these forums) that the QB competition was going to be between RW and QP, most thought JJ had a 5-10% chance of being the starter anyway. I think fan reaction to Kumah entering the portal was much stronger than JJ entering the portal, for that very reason.
Juding a QB based on W-L alone is flawed. JJ won 9 games with the #4 scoring defense in the country. Personally, I think if he was our QB last year, we lose to UNC and / or UVA, and the bowl streak ends. I can't think of any games last year that he would have won for us - mainly because most of the losses were too ugly for 1 player to make a difference, even if he were the better player. But, I do think the 2 close games that we won, we could easily have lost without RW.
Stats be damned he passed the eye test may be the most 2019 thing ever.
These kind of stats are hard to compare though. Any statistician would tell you that there is very little you can actually interpret about either quarterback from these stats. There are too many variables to isolate anything and use it as objective proof of anything. JJ & RW faced different teams, played with different offensive talent around them, with unique game plans designed by the coaches for players in those games, during different weather conditions, with very different VT defenses, etc etc.
Stats are not the cold hard facts that many people make them out to be. They are only true in that they describe a specific sample size of data. To take that description and extrapolate it into an absolute truth is dishonest in many cases. Hence the old saying: there are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics.
The sample size is over 300 attempts a piece, largely against the same level of competition, largely with the same................ weather?
I agree however that stats are not facts. But saying one is a better downfield passer when one completes almost 20% more on throws 20+ yards downfield, and has a better YPA is just ignoring the best metrics available. Just because they lead to a different conclusion than your eye test doesn't mean they do not tell the correct story.
I guess making the right reads looks too simple and isnt as memorable as running down a td saving int (horrible decision by the way) and chucking desperate jump balls to tight ends?
Slightly sarcastic, but an element of truth. Neither qb is perfect, but they play very different games so I get why it is polarizing. I think VT has had qbs that have had to put the offense on his back for so long, we dont know how to appreciate the boring expected outcome.
Good points, although as far as the INT before halftime vs uva being a horrible decision...if I remember correctly, uva tricked JJ into throwing the exact same INT in the 2017 game. I think the DB stumbled and fell down, otherwise would have been a pick six.
Same level of competition includes a big range. Only the team name on the jersey was the same. Just like 2017 VT was very different than 2018 VT, all the teams we played were very different each year.
But saying one is a better downfield passer when one completes almost 20% more on throws 20+ yards downfield, and has a better YPA is just ignoring the best metrics available.
I disagree. Every single one of those throws were different to players, in different situations, in different games. JJ didn't have near as talented downfield receivers. But he was also playing with a lead and a top 10 defense. The strategy against us in 2017 was to respect the run, flood the middle of the field and short sidelines, and force our receivers to win 1on1 battles down the field. In 2018 it was the opposite; don't respect the run and drop 5-6 guys into coverage play deep middle and sidelines. JJ got a lot of 1 on 1 chances off play action. Those are very different than Willis throwing 4 verticals into Cover 3. JJ also racked up a lot of his downfield passing stats on easy teams early in the season.
I think both JJ and RW were very different and limited in different ways. I also think both were fairly ineffective but JJ had a great defense to carry him. The stats are not as apples to apples as you make them out to be. They may be the best metrics available but that still doesn't make them good metrics capable of being viewed in a vacuum.
He also didn't score in the 3rd quarter, meaning we had to score on desperation drives in the 4th, leading to, necessarily, "clutch plays." He threw bone headed interceptions, didn't respond well to his first read being taken away. I feel like this is a good example of flashy plays sticking in memory, and either making or missing an important six yard completion fading quickly (which would jive well with what the stats say they did and what you're saying they do.)
FWIW, I think Willis may have a higher physical ceiling, but we haven't seen anywhere near his ceiling for a full game. If he can clean up some decision making, maybe we're better off. BUT. The hate that Jackson gets when he lead us to a 9-4 season, including some impressive offensive outputs in some of those games, confuses the hell out of me.
Let's define quarterbacks by a team metric. Seems fair.
I get it and agree, but to be damning JJ and praising RW doesn't ring true to me either. Yep, the D was atrocious last year, but in the past, it seems like whichever unit was doing best helped make up for the deficiencies of the other and last year that didn't happen. I don't really think RW was responsible for our losses, I guess I just reacted to the absurd conjecture about JJ who never played another game after his injury. Who really knows what he could have done, what he could have contributed to tamping down the discontent in the locker room? Yeah, RW had some gaudy stats, but again, we don't know what a non-injured JJ could have pulled off last year.
that's fair. I agree with that assessment.
The argument between JJ and RW is ripe of opinions. From my perspective, one was seemingly a better teammate, the other seems to put more effort in the weight room in the off season (as determined by Gentry result photos). One looked like he was in a pool of molasses while running, the other seemingly blindly chucks it down field hoping the receiver finds it. Neither are close to complete and both probably will never reach that "next level" .
Let's just hope the collection of O-line, WRs, TEs and RBs complement with the QB to yield an overall positive result in all four quarters.
Part of me wonders how much the division in the locker room had to do with JJ not getting his job back when it was apparent he wasn't going to get his job back
Maybe, but I have no problem with QBs competing to see who is best each year.
Works for places like Alabama, Ohio State, etc. Shouldn't cause a locker room issue.
I agree with you. just because it shouldn't doesn't mean it didn't, though
Do you honestly think it was clear he was not going to get his job back when he was still injured and the team was in the midst of losing 5 of 6?
Or that it was ever clear he wouldn't get his job back for that matter?
I think you're just trying to create order out of disorder.
"part of me wonders if" is not any attempt to create order out of disorder but thanks though.
Actually it is precisely that
I'm not "damning" JJ here, and I fully understand that RW has his flaws. I'm just saying that it's not like we just had a clear starting QB leave for a B1G also-ran, as it was fairly clear to me that Willis had demonstrated a great deal of upside in his opportunities and was likely to win the starting nod this summer, JJ or no JJ.
I wish nothing but the best for JJ, even if I wish nothing but the worst for Maryland's program in general.
Yeah, "damning" was not the best choice of words with a more negative connotation than I had intended. I'm no big JJ fan, nor am I anti-Willis and agree that if Willis can get that final 6" of his body between his ears working he has a lot of upside, but again, who knows if he would have passed a healthy JJ on the chart. I know we're all about speculation on this site, it's the fun of it, but speculation is all it is, and that really was the only point I was trying to make.
While you have a point, aside from Aaron Rogers inexplicably losing 7-8 games a year and early playoff exits, most great QBs have winning team records. They touch the ball on every offensive play. They are the most important player on the field. I can't think of a great QB that lost a lot over a good sample size.
His regular season record is 100-57-1, and his post season record is 9-7. His first year as a starter he went 6-10. Then, he went 11-5, 10-5, 14-1 (MVP), 11-5, 6-3 (fractured clavicle, no surgery), 12-4 (MVP), 10-6, 10-6, 4-3 (broken clavicle, surgery), 6-9-1 (played on a fractured leg with a sprained MCL amidst coaching dysfunction).
So really he's only lost even seven games in a season twice, and both are explicable enough?
Well, that furthers my point. I just recalled Rogers missing the playoffs or barely getting a wild card several times, etc.
you can't say information "furthers your point" if your point has to change in light of that information, but okay i guess.
Well, that's what most QBs are judged by ultimately, not fantasy numbers.
QB is, by far, the most important position in team sports (the only position comparable are starting pitchers, but they only play 20% of the games). They have 5x (and arguably almost 10x) the impact of any other position on the field over the course of a season. They touch the ball on every offensive play and have a hand in most good and bad offensive plays.
The great QBs win and the lesser ones don't.
I'll add to that sentiment:
Good QBs win when surrounded by other talent. Great QBs win regardless of personnel.
Sure. Doesn't mean that's it best judgement of a QB. And I'm not suggesting Fantasy numbers are a good indicator either, but let's not pretend that QB has more than 50% control of win/loss record. Coach, O-coordinator, system all factor into win/loss record. And most importantly a QB can't stop the other team from scoring when they have the ball.
If you want to judge a QB, judge the QB as whole, not some single statistic that they have less than 50% control over.
If you could start fresh, knowing how each played over the course of their careers, would you rather your franchise hitch its ride to Joe Flacco or Dan Marino? Flacco has 2 Super Bowl rings, Marino has 0. But Marino is widely regarded as the far greater QB
When did Flacco win his second Super Bowl? Regardless, you make a good point.
He only has 1? Shit, maybe I should have used Eli... Or Dilfer, or Brad Johnson, or Nick Foles....
Just want to add context to your post:
2017 Defensive S&P+ ranking: 9th
2018 Defensive S&P+ ranking: 77th
Points/Game (Jackson as starter-2017 + 2018 FSU and W&M): 30.1
Points/Game (Willis as starter-2018 after ODU): 30.2
*I just based this simply on the scores of the game and didn't account for defensive or special teams scoring. I also didn't include ODU as that is when Jackson was injured.
Looking at scoring and the stats posted by others above, Jackson and Willis have very similar resumes even with Jackson having the benefit of racking them up against 2 FCS teams and ECU's notoriously terrible 2017 defense. Jackson having more wins as a starter than Willis is almost entirely due to the defenses they played with.
TLDR: using wins to compare QBs is flawed at best, disingenuous at worst..
Agree.
Aside from Willis passing the eye test and having a much worse defense, he also didn't have the luxury of the FCS games that Jj racked up big stats in. I posted their P5 stats side-by-side last year, and they were skewed pretty much across the board for Willis.
I don't even know why we're still discussing this really. JJ wasn't that good, wasn't that passionate of a leader on the field, and probably played a much bigger role in the SI article than a lot here want to admit. I'm not saying Willis is the end-all, bc he's not, but we're not talking about a player like Tyrod here. UMD got a QB that is probably in-line with the caliber program they've got. It's time to move on.
Agreed.
I never understood why folks think Willis is/was better than JJ. I really don't.
I can see why someone might say that today, but time will tell.
There's plenty of past to give someone reason to say that.
He has a different skill set. People who value that skill set think he's better, simple enough.
Willis: makes long throws look effortless. Halfway decent runner when he makes the right decision to run.
Jackson: decision making. Pretty average all around, but an average game manager will win you a lot of games with the right supporting cast.
Good for him - I hope he finds what he's looking for.
Interested to see how he works out.
Nevertheless, good luck out there JJ.
DADBOD is BAK!
Josh Jackson was a good game management type QB. He was never able to turn that corner and be a game changer. I hope he finds that extra gear at Maryland, seems like a really good kid.
"Turn that corner", "dad bod"
Interesting... Fuente and company really do not let players rest on the results of last year. It's expected that folks continue to grow and improve every year.
Loyalty does not win over on field performance. My guess is "dad bod" did not help his case for beating out his competition.
This is a horrible take, there are a ton of professional quarterbacks who have "dad bods". This is intentional as they shape their body in a way to protect themselves from repetitive hits to their midsection.
No, this is a horrible take.
No, this is a horrible take.
Is this accurate? I've never heard of a QB putting on pudgy weight to absorb blows. Any source for this conjecture. I'm not saying your wrong, but this would be news to me.
Tom Brady, Peyton/Eli Manning, Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Wilton Speight all off the top of my head have dad bods.
I mean it makes sense- if you're a pocket passer that doesn't have a ton of utility for speed (i.e. Brady), it makes sense to get some thiccness to your frame in order to protect yourself
But is there any intention to keep a dad-bod to take on a blow? I would think it's just circumstance. You don't need to be the weight-lift king to throw a good ball.
Eh, I kinda see what you're suggesting. They probably do put on weight to take on a blow, and probably don't work out in the weight room enough to make it all muscle.
If
has a dad bod, so does anyone who doesn't spend 3 hours a day at the gym:
If you need three hours a day in the gym to look like Tom Brady get a new trainer and dietician.
Just sayin', Tom Brady is an extremely fit 42-year-old. I've come to understand "dad bod" to mean a little squishy in the middle as a result of a lax workout schedule because of extra time caring for your kids, whereas you can see individual rib bones on Brady.
Saying that Tom Brady has a dad bod sets an absurd bar for anyone who's trying to get rid of their "dad bod". Yes, "3 hours per day" is hyperbole, but Tom Brady is a professional athlete making tens of millions of dollars per year, and spends a non-negligible chunk of that on his health. He does not have a "dad bod".
It's ridiculous how in some minds, a guy can be defined as "never able to turn the corner" before even getting to the first turn of his sophomore season...
Dang how long has it been since they had a better starter than us
13 years and counting
Lol leg
Best of luck to him...but not to the damned Terrapins!!!
May he break all of their individual passing records whilst losing every game.
I'm fine with them going undefeated just to see all the B1G schools get pissed about it.
If a team is going to do that, I would rather it Purdue or Rutgers. I'm pretty neutral on them. I actually kinda like Wisconsin, but I would rather see the other two win everything just to see the B1G on fire.
I don't really care which of those teams normally, but JJ deserves to succeed if I have to choose one.
They've ducked us as much as Mechicken. So for me, that's a hard...
via GIPHY
via GIPHY
Yeah, but I still like them. Just maybe not their AD/administration.
Unless they play Iowa I'm with you on this
Go Hawkeyes!
I like Iowa as well. I somehow forgot about them because there are so many schools in the B1G that I would roast marshmallows over if they were on fire.
FTFY Testudo Times
The quarterback decision has finally
bebeen made.The 'en' was probably cut off by a Maryland driver....
This deserves to go plaid. I was drinking coffee when I read this and spit out everything that was in my mouth and almost spilled coffee all over myself as I was about to fall out of my chair from laughing so hard. Well done sir, well done.
I hope the Terrapins lose every game.
As much as I like Josh Jackson, I can't root for Maryland.
Same.
I've selfishly hoped for a WVU-Maryland home and home series... just to see Morgantown and College Park go up in couch flames.
Unfortunately because of demand they play this game in the Ravens stadium almost exclusively. Got to get those dollars.
Well, they all deserve B'more....
i hope he throws for 4000 yards and 40 tds and they lose every game.
Someone remind me..how did he get immediate eligibility?
Grad transfer.
Graduate transfers have immediate eligibility.
Forgot he was a grad transfer
And the wheel goes round and round. Good luck.
Jackson being named starter led to a transfer out of Maryland as well with former Terp starter Kasim Hill transferring to Tennessee to compete for their job next year.
Jackson had better be careful though, having already broken a leg in a game, he decided to transfer to the school with the most QB season ending injuries over the last three seasons and an undeniable haunting history at the position. Maryland is the Cleveland Browns of College football.
Kasim Hill tore an ACL in one knee in 2017 and another in 2018 in game.
Max Bortenschlager had to have ankle surgery in 2018 following a game injury and now has a stress fracture in his leg that will keep him out at least the first eight weeks of the 2019 season.
Tyrell Pigrome missed four games to injury in 2016, tore his ACL in 2017, missed four games in 2018 with injuries. He is now the backup to Jackson in 2019
Caleb Henderson transferred into Maryland from UNC for the 2017 season and ended up breaking his foot in spring practice after taking all the first team reps during the spring and ended up never playing a snap for Maryland.
Seven season ending injuries for QBs in just the last two plus seasons.
Nothing though compares to Maryland's 2012 season when they ended up with a true freshman walk on linebacker starting their last four games, because the other four quarterbacks had season ending injuries, three torn ACLs and a broken foot.
That's actually insane. The Maryland QB curse is alive and well it appears.
2015 they also had to play four quarterbacks, including the guy who was their starting fullback for most of the season due to injuries and other terrible play. Team combined to throw 29 interceptions in 2015 which is the most of any team in college football in the stats era.
Let us never forget 2012, during which Maryland had to turn to a true freshman LB to play QB.
I knew I wasn't exaggerating when I thought I saw a fifth string QB at Maryland.
It all started when they fired the Fridge...
Good for him, hope he does well. Of all the transfers, Jackson and Pimpleton are the two I am most interested in watching this year.
I dont understand the hate for Maryland. It's not like they've been good enough to hate. We don't play them. Who cares about them?
People who have to live / work / drive around Marylanders, that's who.
Sort of like Florida man, someone could create a website dedicated to Maryland driver... err non-driver I mean.
They have to be good to dislike them?
Well no, example: UVA
But we play UVA, to me hating Maryland is like hating Iowa St., they are inconsequential to us so why expend the energy.
Maryland isn't inconsequential. We do recruit in some of the same territory.
So yes, I definitely hate them.
Edit: Also, I resent the fact that Kevin Plank of under armour wants to take my money and give it to the terps. Meaning I try and avoid buying Under Armour products, even though it's just the same polyester product everyone else sells, though they do a decent job of styling the graphics.
I wish we had a VT-beneficial equivalent.
1) They're in Maryland
2) They love plastering their ugly flag all over everything
3) They're in Maryland
4) They killed a player last year and the athletic department and much of the support staff was left untouched
5) They're in Maryland
6) They used to be in the ACC but sued to get out of a portion of their buyout
7) They're in Maryland
There are a bunch more reasons, but there's a good start
I'll give you 2 and 4
Not 1)?
Because I'm pretty sure 1 is true, too.
8) They haven't figured out how to use the turn signal
9) They're in Maryland
10) under armor
11) They're in Maryland
Ha! Nobody in this rural county here on the Bay uses, or seems even to know what a turn signal is. I've driven a lot all over and have never seen drivers less likely to signal than right here in good ole Virginny.
I feel like that's less terrible in a rural county with less traffic than on crowded roads like the beltway and 295.
Yeah, I take your point, but since I live in that rural place, I'm still annoyed. We have a small town center which can get crowded (no, not like the beltway, etc.) sometimes though and the lack of common courtesy does become frustrating to someone like me who signals every turn whether there's anyone else around or not. Not as dangerous as the high speed traffic, though. Essentially, though, I have learned not to trust basic traffic situations because the intentions of other drivers around here are closely held secrets, apparently.
That's fair enough, even if it isn't as dangerous it's still outside the norm and still causes some amount of grief.
Maryland may be worse, but you bring up a valid point, in my experience bad driving habits are an epidemic that has spread throughout the country.
The Maryland flag is pretty badass. The rest of your points seem fairly cromulent though.
False.
The Maryland flag looks like someone cut up a normal flag, then couldn't remember how it went back together and just started gluing shit wherever.
The Maryland flag looks like a bunch of roadway constructions signs got drunk one night, had an orgy, fell off a balcony, and landed in a jumbled heap 10 stories down.
The Maryland flag looks like an modern interpretation of a nascar pileup.
The Maryland flag looks like someone tried to LARP themselves into royalty down to creating their own coat of arms, and then convinced themselves it was real life and adopted the flag as the official representation of their house.
Ah, jelly of the MD flag when all VA has is a seal on a bedsheet.
the Virginia flag is NSFW
that alone makes it better
Virtue slaying tyranny... You're right, MD's coat of arms vomit is way better. /SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Sorry we couldn't be so original as to put a lame-ass state seal with some Latin cliche (okay, Sic Semper Tyrannis is actually pretty metal) on a plain blue backdrop. Yeah, nobody's thought of that before.
There are good reasons above, but if the last time we played them doesn't still leave a festering kernel of hate deep within you, I don't know what to tell you
My day will be ruined thinking about that game
You guys are always bashing MD the state. I'll tell you, I'll pick MD over being in NoVA any day of the week. I live in DC, and I love Virginia. But when it comes to the DC region, NoVA is on the bottom of my list.
I wish JJ the best, however I feel even more confident in RW. If he is beating out a player that can go start at another P5 school, then I think it's looking good.
Interested on your perspective here.
If you are in the area, we may need to meet and grab a beer to talk about it, haha. I've lived in Arlington and Fairfax (Tysons), have friends in all of the counties and have done plenty of visiting the area, so it's not a small sample size.
One thing I can say, when I first moved into DC proper, it took me a while to adjust to how nice and personable people were.
Always down for a beer with a fellow Hokie! That's fair, We lived in North Bethesda when we first moved to the area, then to Sterling/Cascades area in Loudoun County, and finally out to Leesburg. The one thing I've noticed is that Virginia has some neat downtown areas in the suburbs that make it feel a little more like a community (thinking Vienna, Falls Church, Del Rey) versus Maryland, which we found harder to find. But that was something that was important to us when we bought our home. I'm not sure I would consider Leesburg to be part of "Nova" however.
The traffic patterns would like to have a word...
Depends on who you talk to, the people that live in downtown Leesnurg and have lived there 20+ years say they are not part of NoVa, they other 95% people that have a leesburg address say its NoVa.
This is a fun/funny debate.
What's part of NOVA and/or the DMV.
I was born in DC and raised in Springfield. I vote Leesburg is not a part of NOVA.
So, like, 500 people say it isn't NoVA, and tens of thousands say it is NoVA. Sounds about right.
Also, I know someone who moved there in 1997 to work inside the beltway, and your have a tough time convincing me that thousands of others haven't done the same in the decades since.
Leg. DC is great. I'd rather get kicked in the shin than live in the nearby suburbs.
What part of DC are you in?
I'm in North Michigan Park, just north of Brookland.
I'm in Atlanta. But I like DC. And I don't like NoVA.
Cool, I'm in Langdon, right off of South Dakota.
Cool. What architectural firm are you with? I have my own interior firm downtown.
We should hook up to find a spot for games. Could always look at Brookland Pint or something.
Very nice! I work for Sean Mullican Architect PLLC. I'm a pretty small outfit. I think I might have gotten an email from you before. Did you design Brookland Pint? sean@mullicanarch.com Have plans for BC game?
Cool deal. We are a small outfit as well. And yeah, we did Brookland Pint and the latest iteration, Meridian Pint in Arlington. We have a few other projects you may recognize around town and we even do façade work for the main streets program.
For the BC game, I was going to try and watch at home. It's at a good time to try and watch with the family and I've already set myself on ordering a ton of wings, haha.
I'm going to send an email to connect so we can hit up future games and what not.
Amen
What if I told you MD, DC, and NoVa are basically identical in culture outside of the boonies in MD?
ESPN presents: You're All Assholes.
What if I told you that if you're from SWVA, it's ALL NOVA anyway?
hell, I'm from Charlottesville and it's all NOVA anyway.
LOL.
I'm from Richmond. Everything north of Fredericksburg = NOVA
Hell no.
Lorton is about as far south as you can get and still consider it NOVA.
Nothing about Dale City, Dumfries, or Stafford is NOVA.
Sorry, but no. Depending on who you ask the region extends as far south as Spotsylvania County (past Fredericksburg) and as far west as Frederick County (including Winchester), but at a bare minimum, NoVA consists of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties, as well as the independent cities adjacent to those counties. There may be areas within those four counties that are "culturally different" than places closer to NoVA, but the DC area has such an impact on the economy and demography of these areas that they get lumped in with areas much closer.
And yes, some people do commute from as far as Winchester or Fredericksburg inside the beltway. There's a reason for the Park-N-Ride off of Exit 5 from I-66.
Just like Chicagoland that extends into Wisconsin and Indiana.
I live in the District and this would be my definition of NoVA. It's more of a cultural descriptor to me than a true geographical descriptor.
I just got back from a concert in Maryland (Baltimore) and it was my first trip to that city. I have lived in NJ, NYC and Virginia and traveled through Atlanta and Houston mucho times. Maryland drivers are dangerous and a whole new level of bad........JMO! The cutting in without a signal at the last second was maddening and I was doing 80 and getting smoked.
Ah, good ol 97. Drive it like you stole it!!!! Which means you're either doing 90 or sitting still.
I have a standing wager with my wife that every time we visit her folks in Annapolis, within 5 minutes of traveling on Route 50, a car with Maryland plates will pass me as if I was standing still.
Have yet to lose the bet in 7 years.
Honestly, I wish Josh the best of luck. He was a hokie when he was here. He got injured and would have had to fight hard for the starting role again. Instead he transferred to a school where he could start right away and QB's break an average of 1.3 QB's per season.
On the topic of former Hokies at other schools, did a little googling on some of our other transfers and where they are on the depth chart at their new schools...
Starters:
- Josh Jackson - starting QB for UMD, obviously.
- Kumah and Cunningham are both starting at ODU
- Cam Goode - starting DT at UCF
Not Starting:
- Sean Savoy - #2 slot receiver at UMD (I thought I had heard he switched to CB? Guess not)
- Trevon Hill - #2 DE at Miami - personally pretty surprised he's not starting. In fact, it scares me a little that their D line is that good.
Rico Kearney isn't listed on UCF depth chart. Same with Bryce Watts at UNC, Jordan Stout at Penn State, and Samuel Denmark at Coastal Carolina. Not sure if they had to sit out a year or not.
I didn't have a chance to look at Darius Fullwood (W&M), DJ Crossen (JUCO), Devante Smith (JUCO), Deandre Plantin (North Texas)
...yeah we've lost a whole lot of people. I think Hill and Goode are the only guys that, at least physically, could really help the current team ... but obviously there were other reasons for their dismissals.
Kalil Pimpleton is starting at WR for Central Michigan. I really look forward to watching him play this year.
Re: Jordan Stout, he is playing and continued his touchback proficiency with 13 on Saturday and a 53-yd FG
https://twitter.com/onwardstate/status/1167976617400066048?s=21